


Sleep

by orphan_account



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Nightmares, PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-02
Updated: 2012-08-02
Packaged: 2017-11-11 06:59:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/475829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony has trouble sleeping. Post Afghanistan, pre-Mark II.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sleep

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Avengers-Land](http://avengers-land.livejournal.com/1688.html)'s [Big Bang](http://avengers-land.livejournal.com/3044.html) challenge!

He’s been having trouble sleeping.

He’s always had trouble sleeping, but this time is different, not just the numbers racing in his head keeping him up – it is flashbacks and dreams, water filling his lungs and wires pulling from his chest and Yinsen’s face filled with pain. This time it is gasping awake, pulling himself from sweat drenched sheets tangled around his legs and staggering to the kitchen whenever he did manage to rest.

It was sipping scalding cups of coffee while pictures still flash beneath his eyelids. It is avoiding his reflection so he can pretend there isn’t a light in his chest. It is locking himself in the lab for days to hide from Pepper’s poorly disguised horror and pity. 

It is cutting off communications so he doesn’t have to hear Rhodey and Obie clamour for weapons. It is staying in the house to elude the press; turning off the TV so he can't hear them speculate on his three month absence, or his proposal to shut down arms production at SI. 

It is working on the Mark II so he can give himself power – so he can fight off his nightmares. So he can sleep a little easier.


End file.
